Quick Tips for Shooting Fireworks
It’s that time again, where we all get to enjoy lots of little explosions in the sky and celebrate our nation’s independence, all while drinking lots of beer, eating deliciously un-healthy food and enjoying time with out friends and family… For those of you planning to shoot tomorrow, and want some pointers, here’s a little revisit to a fireworks post I did last year that should get you ready to go. Check it out. As always, questions are welcome in the comments.
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I would KILL for some good tips with Point and Shoot cameras too.
James, a lot of the tips still apply from the article I linked, but since the settings on P+S cameras vary so much its tough but here are a few key things:
- Use a tripod or steady surface
- Most likely you dont have a remote release for your point and shoot, so use the self-timer and make sure the camera is on a stable surface.
- Set the camera to “Night shot” mode if you have it but some Point and Shoots have fireworks mode as well.
- If your P+S has a manual mode, try to get the settings similar to hwat I outline in the article linked above.
Was all set up last night (7/3) to get great fireworks shots of the Aloha Tower show, but a steady drizzle forced me to take my gear back to the car, and go back to the group and be social… It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because out of no where the park’s sprinkler system popped up out of the ground and drenched hundreds of people. I mean those things had the power and water volume of fire hoses!!! Had my gear been out, oh man… I don’t want to think about it! I’ll never complain about drizzle again as it saved my ass big time!
Seriously, hundreds of people SCREAMING in the dark. You would have thought a bomb went off or something.
Being a glutton for punishment, I’m going out again tonight (7/4) for Hawaii’s main show at Ala Moana Beach!
Thanks for the tips Ryan. I usually add mirror lock up to that recipe, and go down to 50 ISO for reeeeeeeeeal a slow sensor.
I was thinking about doing a firework post on my blog but it seems like every blog is doing one so I will just add my best advice to the list:
In bulb mode, put a piece of cardboard in front of the lens when the fireworks are not exploding and remove it as soon as the action is back.
This will allow you to capture more fireworks on the same frame without running the risk of over exposing them.
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Great tips although we too were greeted with drizzle – second year in a row!
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